Early this morning school superintendents from across the region will be deciding whether to cancel school today as a major snowstorm bears down on the region.

They will likely be making that same decision for classes on Friday as the storm is expected to dump 6 inches to a foot on southeastern Connecticut before ending Friday afternoon.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning from 4 a.m. today to 1 p.m. Friday. The snow will begin slowly, maybe as early as 10 a.m., and pick up as the winds increase and temperatures plummet this afternoon and evening.

Gary Lessor, assistant director of the Weather Center at Western Connecticut State University, said that during the height of the storm there will be sustained winds of 20 to 25 mph with some gusts up to 40 to 45 mph.

"It's going to be very fine, powdery snow because of the extreme cold and we should expect a lot of blowing and drifting," Lessor said.

The weather service indicates snow will continue Friday, with it tapering off early afternoon. The wind chill values on Friday could be as low as -8 degrees. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy issued a statement urging residents who need shelter to call 211.

As of Wednesday night, school officials in Stonington had already canceled classes for today.